Staying Safe In The Great Outdoors

Backpacking is an excellent way to travel. In fact, we would argue that backpacking is the best way to travel. There are precious few ways that you can appreciate the world and all of its inhabitants until you have gone on a backpacking trip. Backpacking seems like it opens your eyes to what it is like to integrate with the people of the country or area in which you are traveling.

Many other forms of travel, such as trains, buses, and airplanes tend to disconnect you from your surrounding environment. These forms of mass transit make your trip seem isolated and like little more than a vacation. When you decide to go backpacking, it should be more than a simple vacation.

Backpacking is the best way to immerse yourself into the lifestyles of people from other parts of the world.

Backpacking immerses you so because you must live in a similar manner as locals and you also get the option of enjoying the wilderness and open air of another country. Another significant aspect to backpacking is that it encourages you to learn to communicate with the locals of the area which you are visiting.

If you are looking to make new acquaintances and acquire new life experiences while you travel, there is nothing which compares to backpacking.

Your experience while backpacking will greatly vary depending on your surrounding environment. For example, some travelers choose to stick to towns and urban areas while backpacking.

Others will opt to travel more throughout the wilderness and enjoy being surrounded by nature. There is a certain charm about waking up in the cool, fresh air of a different country and deciding to set out on a hike.

One of the more important aspects to consider while backpacking is how you will stay safe. Safety while backpacking is no laughing matter, as you will likely be with limited support and you must be alert and intelligent when it comes to any signs of danger.

This article will attempt to provide several hints and tips on staying safe for both aspiring backpackers and veterans alike.

You will find that backpacking will sometimes stretch you to the limits of your resourcefulness, so it is important to remain calm and collected under pressure if you are planning on a backpacking trip.

Is Backpacking Safe?

This is one of the questions we get quite often when it comes to backpacking. The answer is that backpacking is not an inherently unsafe practice. The issue lies in first-time backpackers underestimating the challenge of backpacking through an unexplored country.

If you choose to be intelligent in the way you handle your journey, you will very likely never have any difficulty over the course of your journey. Backpacking safety, like many other types of safety, is heavily reliant on you.

Unfortunately, many backpackers leave home unprepared and without a second thought as to the logistics of how they will undertake their trip. This tends to lead to them phoning home and requiring financial support or a ticket back as soon as possible.

If you take the time to plan out your backpacking trip and prepare for the most likely scenarios, there is a very high chance that your backpacking trip will be a success.

It is not a question of whether backpacking itself as an activity is safe. It is more a question of how safe you are willing to make your backpacking trip by preparing yourself for most eventualities.

At the same time, you do not want to overload yourself by bringing along an item for every single likely eventuality. The beauty in backpacking is bringing just enough with you that you will be comfortable, but you will still have to live similarly to a local.

Wildfires

When it comes to backpacking safety, one of the more evident risks to those traveling through forested areas is the risk of a wildfire.

If you plan to spend a lot of time in the wild when you are backpacking, it is important to recognize the signs of a wildfire and to do what you can to distance yourself from it. Wildfires are especially risky when you are traveling in drier countries such as Greece.

If you know that the country you are traveling in has a history of wildfires, it is important to learn all of the signs of a wildfire and the best way to escape one.

If you ever spot smoke on the horizon while you are out in the wild, it is important to distance yourself from the smoke as much as possible and to head for the non-flammable terrain. Once you are in a non-flammable area and you are safe, it is important to call any authorities an alert them of the wildfire.

Wild Animals

Another risk while backpacking is the threat of attack from wild animals. If you are backpacking in the forest or any other wild are, be sure to ask the locals if any dangerous animals are living in the area.

If there are no locals to ask, keep your eyes peeled for signs which warn of bears, wolves, and other possible dangerous animals. When in the wild, it is very important to ensure that you are always vigilant for any signs of animal activity. Traveling in a group is highly recommended if you plan on setting up camp in the wild.

Attack, Theft, etc.

One more threat to take into consideration is the threat of other people. Criminals tend to view backpackers as easy targets without support. One of the best ways you can deter potential criminals from endangering your backpacking safety is to travel in at least a group of two.

A lone backpacker is a far easier target than two.

If you do not have the choice of traveling in a group, it helps to recognize and understand suspicious situations and to minimize the number of these situations you will end up in.

Conclusion

Backpacking safety is a critical aspect to consider before you set out on your trip. We hope that our tips have helped you realize that backpacking is a safe and fun activity that simply requires a little bit of forethought.